Where are they now? Juve's squad from 2015 Champions League final

"Juventus has grown since 2015."

To a man, that's what everyone at the club is saying ahead of Saturday's Champions League final, which will see the Italian side compete for Europe's top honour for the second time in three seasons.

The main reason for that sentiment is the personnel, which is simply better than it was two seasons ago. Massimiliano Allegri has improved as a tactician and the club has bolstered its financial standing, but having better players makes all the difference.

Here, we look back at the squad that made it all the way to Berlin two seasons ago before falling to Barcelona in an exhilarating encounter; of the 18 players called up for that clash, only six remain.

Goalkeeper and defence

The least amount of turnover from the side that lost 3-1 to Barcelona; Juventus has managed to keep the core of its backline intact.

Gianluigi Buffon

No matter what changes around him, Gianluigi Buffon remains. You could argue that, despite the laws of human ageing, he is somehow getting better as he closes in on his 40th birthday. The rules don't apply to Superman.

Stephan Lichtsteiner

Supplanted by Dani Alves as the preferred option down the right flank, the Swiss' days as a fearsome freight train are over. He's still a serviceable squad member, but the 33-year-old has, understandably, regressed since 2015.

Leonardo Bonucci

Like Buffon, Leonardo Bonucci remains one of Juventus' most vital contributors. The composed Italian centre-back acts equal parts staunch defender and creative playmaker, and his long, accurate passing is an enormous part of the club's attacking arsenal.

Andrea Barzagli

The epitome of a solid, consistent performer, Andrea Barzagli started the 2015 final in place of Giorgio Chiellini after the hard-nosed Italian suffered a calf injury in training days before the contest. This time around, Barzagli will hope to take the pitch alongside both Chiellini and Bonucci as part of the Old Lady's vaunted "BBC" backline.

Patrice Evra

The 2015 final was Patrice Evra's final match as Juventus' first-choice left-back. It was clear the veteran Frenchman, who was solid for the Bianconeri after his move from Manchester United, was a placeholder until Alex Sandro was ready to make the position his own - something the Brazilian has done with aplomb this season. Evra, in search of more playing time, was therefore allowed to leave for Marseille this past January.

Midfield

Juventus' ability to continually improve is all the more impressive when considering some of the players that have left the club in recent seasons, particularly in midfield.

Andrea Pirlo

The man more commonly compared to fine wine than any other footballer never played another match for Juventus after the loss in Berlin, as Andrea Pirlo - who broke down in tears after the final whistle - brought his superlative passing and suave beard to the United States, where he continues to play with New York City FC.

Claudio Marchisio

Relegated primarily to a bench role this season after tearing his ACL in the latter stages of the 2015-16 campaign, Claudio Marchisio has seen the pitch more often of late due to a minor injury to Sami Khedira. The German is fit for Saturday's match against his former club, however, which means that if we're to see Marchisio replicate the sweet backheel that led to Juve's only goal in the 2015 final, it will likely be late in the match after he comes on as a substitute.

Paul Pogba

The supremely skilled, freakishly athletic Frenchman spent one more season in Turin after the 2015 Champions League final, eventually making a world-record move to Manchester United last summer. While the departures of Pirlo and Arturo Vidal - who we'll get to in a second - took time to get over, Pogba's exit undoubtedly had the biggest impact. Not until halfway through the current season, when Allegri shifted to a new system, did the Bianconeri strike a midfield balance that could offset the loss of the world's most expensive player.

Arturo Vidal

The ferocious Chilean always straddles the line between channelled aggression and indiscipline, and he crossed it against Barcelona; indeed, he was lucky not to be sent off in the opening half after a collection of mistimed tackles. The 2015 final proved to be his last appearance in the black-and-white stripes, as Vidal departed for Bayern Munich the following month in a deal that reportedly netted Juventus €36 million.

Forwards

The Bianconeri will come up against a familiar face Saturday, one who played an enormous role in getting the club to the final in 2015.

Alvaro Morata

In an ironic twist, it was Alvaro Morata who scored the deciding goal, at the Santiago Bernabeu, that helped Juventus eliminate Real Madrid in the 2015 semi-final; he followed that up by netting the equaliser in the final against Barcelona before Juve eventually succumbed to the Blaugrana's superior talent. The Spanish attacker, who rejoined Real last summer as the club exercised its buy-back option, will start Saturday's match on the bench for Zinedine Zidane, but should have a role to play against his former teammates.

Carlos Tevez

The hyperactive Argentine attacker, whose shot produced the rebound for Morata's aforementioned goal, has been on the move since the 2015 final; Tevez left Juventus weeks after the contest to return to his beloved boyhood club Boca Juniors, then made an opulent move to China this past December, where he now plays for Shanghai Shenhua.

Substitutes

With the likes of Kwadwo Asamoah, Medhi Benatia, Daniele Rugani, and, depending on the formation used, Juan Cuadrado all available off the bench - not to mention Marchisio and Lichtsteiner - one of Juventus' key improvements in recent seasons has been squad depth. Unlike in 2015, going to the bench this time around won't be a wasteful endeavour.

Fernando Llorente

A fan favourite in Turin, Fernando Llorente came off the bench in the 2015 final when Allegri threw on the stately Spanish striker in the waning minutes in a desperate bid to find an equaliser. Llorente left the club on a free transfer that summer, going back to Spain and linking up with Sevilla. A barren scoring run saw him leave Seville for Wales, where he played a massive role in helping Swansea City avoid the drop in the Premier League this past season.

Roberto Pereyra

The first option off the bench for Allegri in 2015, the versatile Argentine stayed in Turin for one more season after the loss to Barcelona, but was eventually sold to Watford, which paid €13 million for the talented dribbler.

Kingsley Coman

The one that got away? Kingsley Coman's last-minute cameo against Barcelona proved, like many of the players on the list, to be Coman's last match for Juventus, as he joined Bayern Munich on a two-year loan deal that summer. The Bavarian behemoth has since taken up its option to make the signing of the electrifying winger permanent.

Marco Storari

As a goalkeeper, playing on a team with Buffon means you're going to spend almost all of your time, bar the occasional cup match, riding pine. Marco Storari was no different - except in 2010-11, when he filled in while Buffon was sidelined for an extended spell with a back problem. Storari left Juventus after the 2015 season, and has spent time with both Cagliari and Milan since.

Simone Padoin

A cult hero among Juventus supporters, the club's human victory cigar joined Cagliari in July of last year.

Angelo Ogbonna

After being an unused substitute in the match, Angelo Ogbonna - who never developed into the dominant central defender many hoped he would become - was shipped off to West Ham in an €11-million deal.

Stefano Sturaro

The lone substitute from the 2015 final that's still on the Old Lady's books. Stefano Sturaro - who, coincidentally, played a key role in helping Juventus top Real Madrid in the semi-final of that year's tournament - will likely be on the bench once again come Saturday in Cardiff.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)